B.R.Stateham's Blog (169)

Can a geunine mystery be in a fantasy novel

Hmmm, a comment was made the other day by someone I know in another web-site I frequent that got me to thinking. Can a detective novel be written colored as a fantasy novel? Can a hard-boil style detective reside in sci-fi?

My first reaction was to say, why not? And then I got to thinking. Exactly what are the defined parameters for 'fantasy,' for 'detectives.' For any genre. If we have 'historical-detectives,' why not ones in fantasy? Is there a One True Rule (the OTR) which defines… Continue

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 14, 2009 at 12:51am — 8 Comments

Aging reader population in mystery genre

I've heard this comment often in here. The mystery/detective genre's fans are getting long in the tooth--becoming antique oddities--and apparently there is no fresh blood coming into the fold.

Is that true? Really? I dunno--I am, like most of you, involved in other forums and interest sites, and I've have to say, I'm impressed with the number of readers under the age of 40 who frequent these places and love to read mystery/detectives. I don't see what the factors are which would… Continue

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 13, 2009 at 3:00am — 3 Comments

Has anyone heard of a new agent looking. . .

Has anyone heard of a new lit agency opening up? Or an expeienced agent working at one agency deciding to go out on his own? And oh . . . it'd be nice if this agent acutally likes both mysteries and fantasy sci-fi genres.

God, wouldn't be nice if we could just schmooze with publishers . . . and publishers would take the chance on allowing writers to directly contact them.

I know, I know. . . wishful thinking.

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 12, 2009 at 6:04am — No Comments

Authors and Book Covers

How important are the efforts of an author in regards to what they want on their bookcovers? How much 'imput' does an author have who is published by a major publisher?

In '81 when DAW published my Banners of the Sa'yen, I had no imput whatsoever. Fortunately they chose a 'legend' in the Fantasy sci-fi artworld to do the cover. And it was fabulous!

I am not being published these days by a major house. So i am deeply involved in the artwork. But whether big, or small, or… Continue

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 12, 2009 at 3:15am — 8 Comments

A 'Curious Thoughts' explanation

Apparently I have sowed a sea of confusion in my last blog about photos. Let me explain. It occured to me as I was going down the membership pages and looking at people, a set of patterns were emerging. (Either that, or I had taken too much of my diabetic medicine that morning)

The photos broke down into these categories:

1. Authors--Head shots. Many from the upper shoulders and head. No backgrounds.

A goodly number have the author posing in a slight… Continue

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 12, 2009 at 1:40am — 3 Comments

Here's a curious thought

Here's something curious; go through all the member photos. Pick those whom you think are authors, and then writers, and then readers only, and then agents.

See a pattern? I think there is. Author photos are different from everyone else's.

What do you think?

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 11, 2009 at 5:46am — 5 Comments

The Personality of a modern tough guy

Since my last blog, a comment was made which has had me swimming through the pages of the past, examining all the detective characters I've enjoyed reading over the last forty some-odd years. That expanded into the characters seen in the movies and on tv.

The comment made was something to the effect that our modern day genre has morphed to the point that a character like a Mike Hammer or Bulldog Drummond couldn't exist these days. Or, at least, doesn't exist these… Continue

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 11, 2009 at 12:51am — 10 Comments

What does a lit agent want, for chrissakes!

Let's make the assumption that I have some talent in writing. Total strangers have read my books and have gone out of their way to contact me and tell me I'm not bad. . .so there is some truth in the statement.

And let's assume I write detective novels---which, by the way, I do. So here's the qustion; Why can't I convince a good--reputable--agency that I'm qualified enough to be represented?

We all have read good writers. And we've had the unfortunate luck in our lives to… Continue

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 9, 2009 at 10:30pm — 7 Comments

What this country needs . . .

Okay, so I've been writing for forty years. That's necessarily saying I've been published for forty years. Three times so far. Two heroic sci/fantasy novels (1981, 2008) and one police-procedural (2008). And I have to say I have had rotten luck (and I think 'rotten' is just the adjective needed to describe my luck) with trying to find a lit agent who actually likes my writing.

But I keep trying. I keep plugging away. Because I have a theory. I think what this country needs . . . is… Continue

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 9, 2009 at 12:23pm — 11 Comments